In a conventional fossil fuel-fired (e.g., coal-fired) power generating unit, a fossil fuel/air mixture is ignited in a boiler. Large volumes of water are pumped through tubes inside the boiler, and the intense heat from the burning fuel turns the water in the boiler tubes into high-pressure steam. In an electric power generating application, the high-pressure steam from the boiler passes into a turbine comprised of a plurality of turbine blades. Once the steam hits the turbine blades, it causes the turbine to spin rapidly. The spinning turbine causes a shaft to turn inside a generator, creating an electric potential.
As used herein, the term “power generating plant” refers to one or more power generating units. Each power generating unit drives one or more turbines used for generating electricity. A power generating unit is typically powered by fossil fuels (including but not limited to, coal, natural gas or oil), and includes a boiler for producing high temperature steam; air pollution control (APC) devices for removal of pollutants from flue gas; a stack for release of flue gas; and a water cooling system for condensing the high temperature steam. A typical power generating unit will be described in detail below.
Boiler combustion or other characteristics of a fossil fuel-fired power generating unit are influenced by dynamically varying parameters of the power generating unit, including, but not limited to, air-to-fuel ratios, operating conditions, boiler configuration, slag/soot deposits, load profile, fuel quality and ambient conditions. Changes to the business and regulatory environments have increased the importance of dynamic factors such as fuel variations, performance criteria, emissions control, operating flexibility and market driven objectives (e.g., fuel prices, cost of emissions credits, cost of electricity, etc.).
About one half of the electric power generated in the United States is generated using coal-fired power generating units. Coal-fired power generating units used in power plants typically have an assortment of air pollution control (APC) devices installed for reducing nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur oxides (SOx), and particulate emissions. In this regard, selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems are used for NOx reductions. Spray dry absorbers (SDA) and wet flue gas desulfurization (FGD) systems are used for SOx reductions. Electro-static precipitators (ESPs) and fabric filters (FF) are used for reducing particulate emissions.
Over the past decade, combustion optimization systems have been implemented for advanced control of the combustion process within the furnace. Typically, combustion optimization systems interface with the distributed control system (DCS) of a power generating unit. Based upon the current operating conditions of the power generating unit, as well as a set of operator specified goals and constraints, the combustion optimization system is used to compute the optimal fuel-to-air staging within the furnace to achieve the desire goals and constraints.
Combustion optimization systems were originally implemented to reduce nitrogen oxides (NOx) produced in the furnace and emitted to the atmosphere via the stack. U.S. Pat. No. 5,280,756 to Labbe et al. (issued Jan. 25, 1994) teaches a method and system for controlling and providing guidance in reducing NOx emissions based upon controllable combustion parameters and model calculations while maintaining satisfactory plant performance. U.S. Pat. No. 5,386,373 to Keeler et al. (issued Jan. 31, 1995) teaches the use of a predictive model of emissions including NOx in conjunction with a control system. U.S. Pat. No. 6,381,504 to Havener et al. (issued Apr. 30, 2002) describes a method for optimally determining the distribution of air and fuel within a boiler by aggregating the distributions of air and fuel into two common variables, performing an optimization, and then computing the optimal distribution of fuel and air based upon the optimal values of the aggregated variables. U.S. Pat. No. 6,712,604 issued to Havlena (issued Mar. 30, 2004) describes a system for controlling the combustion of fuel and air in a boiler such that the distributions of NOx and CO are maintained to average less than the maximum permitted levels.
Recently, combustion optimization approaches have been used to control boiler parameters in addition to NOx, including unit heat rate, boiler efficiency, and mercury emissions. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/985,705 (filed Nov. 10, 2004) entitled “System for Optimizing a Combustion Heating Process” (fully incorporated herein by reference) teaches an approach to modeling controllable losses in a power generating unit and a method for optimizing the combustion process based upon these controllable losses. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/301,034 (filed Dec. 12, 2005) entitled “Model Based Control and Estimation of Mercury Emissions” (fully incorporated herein by reference) teaches a system and method for reducing mercury emissions from a coal-fired power plant while observing limits on the amount of carbon in the fly ash produced by the combustion process.
The success of combustion optimization systems on boilers in power generating units has motivated the use of optimization approaches on other components within a power generating unit, such as an FGD and SCR. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/927,229 (filed Aug. 27, 2004), entitled “Optimized Air Pollution Control” (fully incorporated herein by reference) teaches a controller for directing operation of an air pollution control system, such as an FGD or SCR, such that a predefined optimization objective is minimized. For an FGD, the optimization objective may include minimization of SO2 emissions while maintaining an operation constraint, such as the purity of a by-product (gypsum), above a specified limit. For an SCR, the optimization may include minimization of NOx emissions while observing an operation constraint, such as a limit on the amount of ammonia in the flue gas exiting the SCR.
As outlined above, the prior art describes optimization of specific components within a power generating unit, such as the boiler, FGD and SCR. However, the prior art does not describe a coordinated approach to optimization of multiple components, within a single power generating unit or multiple power generating units, to achieve multi-pollutant reductions (NOx, SOx, Mercury, CO and particulate matter), minimize costs, and maximize efficiency.
The present invention provides a system that overcomes the abovementioned drawbacks of the prior art, and provides advantages over prior art approaches to control and optimization of power generating units.